ELIL has teams in both Greece and Poland. In Greece, we have offices in Lesvos, Samos, Athens and Thessaloniki. In Poland, we provide free legal assistance to refugees crossing the Belarus border and to those arriving from Ukraine.

The asylum process is a legal one, yet in Greece and in Poland the state does not provide any legal aid for asylum applicants before their decisive first interview, meaning that many attend without having spoken to a lawyer. ELIL exists to plug this gap. Since 2016, we have assisted over 35,000 people, including 8,000 children. Our work contributes to upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights and ensuring the asylum procedure is fair, efficient and robust.